Former Sunderland striker comes out of retirement to aid Portsmouth's relegation rivals ahead of survival fight with Plymouth & Co
Pompey’s relegation fears were eased on Saturday after victory against Blackburn.
The 1-0 triumph at Fratton Park moved the Blues seven points clear of the bottom three as the fight for survival heads towards its climax.
Josh Murphy’s first-half effort was enough to seal maximum points for John Mousinho’s men, who now have a clear cushion between themselves and Derby County in 22nd.
However, there is a new face training with the Rams ahead of a crucial run-in to determine Championship safety. John Eustace has turned to Martyn Waghorn to aid their survival fight, with the 35-year-old set to come out of retirement to return to Pride Park less than a year after departing.
As reported by Sky Sports News’ senior reporter Rob Dorsett, the former Rangers, Sunderland and Coventry striker is training with Derby to help ‘galvanise’ the side but there are currently no plans to register the 35-year-old in the 25-man squad.
A post on X read: ‘Martyn Waghorn has come out of retirement to try to help Derby avoid relegation. 35-yr-old retired in Feb but is training with Derby again. Eustace thinks his experience could help galvanise his squad. No plans currently to register Waghorn as a player for final 8 games.’
Waghorn called time on his playing career in February after his short-term deal at League One side Northampton came to an end in December. This saw the experienced frontman score one goal in eight appearances in all competitions for the Cobblers.
The prolific striker returns to Pride Park for the third time in his career, where he totalled 37 goals in 150 outings during his previous two spells. Waghorn has appeared for 12 different clubs and amassed more 450 league appearances in the EFL and SPFL.
Derby utilising free-agent market ahead of relegation run-in
It’s not just the forward who Eustace has called on in recent weeks, with the head coach already utilising the free-agent market to bolster his squad.
Experienced striker Kemar Roofe completed a free transfer move to Derby in February and has already registered two Championship outings off the bench to date.
Meanwhile on Friday, the Rams confirmed their second arrival following the closure of the January transfer window, with veteran defender Erik Pieters joining on a short-term deal until the end of the campaign.
The 36-year-old, who’s had spells at West Brom, Burnley and Stoke, was recruited to add much-needed experience to the Rams’ squad ahead of a vital run-in and could be included in Wednesday’s contest against Preston.
Derby currently sit two points adrift of safety in 22nd following Saturday’s fixtures and make the trip to Fratton Park to face Pompey in what could be a pivotal game in both side’s Championship hopes.